1336 ‘I support kindness in paediatrics 2021’

Background ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ We all could do with more kindness towards ourselves, our colleagues and patients at work. It is the small acts that matter in everyday life than grand gestures. According to Patient Empathy Project 96% of patients suffer from health-care related fears, and one of the top patient fears is having a rude or unhelpful nurse. Kindness when combined with active listening and competent clinical skills helps improve patient care. Given that we spend a significant time of our working lives at work, having colleagues who are kind is crucial to improve staff morale and retention. Objectives We wished to acknowledge staff in Paediatrics who are going over above in demonstrating kindness to colleagues and patients at work. We designed and procured badges that said ‘I Support Kindness in Paediatrics’ in December 2020. Methods Staff were chosen from the list of Greatix (anonymous electronic postitive reporting tool) submitted in recent months for demonstrating kindness by a colleague in recent months. Starting from December 2020, each month I chose 10 staff for receiving the badges. This exercise will last 10 months until august 2021. Results Until now, 30 staff memebrs have been given the badges which they proudly wear to work. The staff members include nurses, doctors, housekeepers, receptionists and many other allied health care professionals working on the paediatric ward. The list of staff names each month is circulated in the departmental newsletter, displayed on the ward notice board, advertised on social media and mentioned in the weekly CEOs newsletter. It is not surprising that staff who were nominated in Greatix for kindness were regularly named for supporting thier colleagues. Conclusions These badges provide a morale boost to our staff who are kind and reassure patients that kindness is an important attribute in our department. This is now adapted by obstetrics and gynaecology in our Trust as part of the staff well being initiative.